Broken
by Meulin's Disciple
Summary: Songfic. "Broken" by Seether featuring Amy Lee. Zelos sees Sheena in an unexpected situation and both feel responsible for what happened. Summary sucks, so please read and judge for yourself. Rated M for mentions of rape and for safety. Oneshot. R & R.


_**A/N:** Hello peoples! Once again, I randomly had an idea for a oneshot (surprise, surprise). Well, this is my first songfic, so I hope it's good. The song is "Broken" by Seether featuring Amy Lee. Anyway, read, enjoy, and please review._

_Enjoy the oneshot._

_By the way, there's no lemon. I just rated it "M" to be on the safe side._

* * *

Zelos looked at the grandfather clock for the umpteenth time that hour, momentarily distracted by the hypnotic swinging of the pendulum; back and forth, back and forth, endlessly repeating the motion. _She's been gone for two hours. If this is a "short walk", then I'm still a Chosen. Dear God, I hope she's okay… _The man with hair as crimson as his mother's long-spilled blood grabbed his sheathed sword from the coffee table in front of him and was about to rush out the door until he noticed a short pile of slips of paper with foreign words neatly inked on them, stopping him in his tracks; his heart fell with the instantaneous realization of who they belonged to. _Sheena left the mansion _unarmed_?! _He ran out of the expansive mansion with a newfound urgency.

_I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh_

He ran all throughout the streets of Meltokio, the city eerily quiet, with only the moon, stars, and fireflies illuminating the darkness of night.

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away_

_I keep your photograph, I know it serves me well_

"Sheena!" Zelos shouted her name, stopping momentarily, lest a response come and he didn't hear. No response came, but with his enhanced senses could make out a soft wailing cry a short distance away that became louder mere seconds after he first heard it. Zelos took to a sprint soon after, knowing there was no time to waste. The wail became even louder and more audible as he ran in its direction.

"Shut up, bitch!" a masculine voice roared, the sound of a smack accompanying it immediately afterwards.

Nothing could have ever prepared Zelos for what he saw in the alleyway.

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_

Zelos' eyes widened at the sight before him. Tears left unshed from years past mingled with the tears forming within him at that moment and were brought to a rolling boil by the heat of his murderous anger.

Sheena Fujibayashi, his lover, was being _raped_. Zelos didn't care about the how or why, or even the who or when. He just cared that it happened. Sheena ashamedly turned her head to face her flame-haired angel and looked at him with this pained, vulnerable look that killed him inside. New tears constantly formed in her hazel eyes, gleaming with such guilt, such embarrassment, such _shame_ that such a thing happened.

The unknown man pulled his still-erect member out of the naked raven-haired beauty before him. Zelos tensed and took a step forward. That one step turned into several more until he brutally grasped the molester's throat and lifting him into the air.

"Fine, kill me. I don't care." the man cackled, albeit with much difficulty.

"Oh, I'm not going to _kill_ you." Zelos said as he unsheathed his recently polished sword, his eyes empty and unreadable and his face neutral. Without warning, he neatly sliced through the man's length and sack and hurled him to the ground. He sheathed his blade murmuring, "A man like you doesn't deserve the mercy I've given you." and he kneeled in front of Sheena and caressed her face with the tips of his fingers. His face revealed the pain and heartache he felt, his appearance of emotional strength only a mask.

Even the tears.

"Sheena, I'm so sorry." his voice was a pained whisper.

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right when you're gone away_

_You've gone away, you don't feel me anymore._

He placed a hand underneath her head and an arm around her upper back and lifted her, cradling her against his toned chest. "Dear God, I'm so sorry Sheena…" he repeated, feeling he could never apologize enough.

"I feel so broken inside…" Sheena cried. Zelos held her closer to him.

"Well," Zelos began, fighting hard to choke back the tears that threatened to spill over, "I'll just pick up the pieces one at a time and I'll rebuild you, no matter how long it takes."

_The worst is over now and we can breathe again_

_I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away_

_There's so much left to learn and no one left to fight_

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_

He knew that she was broken inside; he was too. But he also knew that out of the two of them, Sheena was hurt worse than he was and there was no guarantee that she would ever fully recover from the pain.

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm open_

He carefully lifted her, holding her close to his body—she didn't need to feel more shame and embarrassment even if they were the only two one the streets—and started walking back to their home. Half of Zelos wanted the man who violated, who took the purity of the one he loves so much to die of blood loss, while the other half desperately wanted him to live without what gave him pride as a male.

_And I don't feel like I'm strong enough_

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right when you're gone away_

"I love you so much, Zelos." Sheena said, managing a slight smile.

"I love you too, Sheena, more than I could ever say, more than I could ever _prove_…" Zelos replied sadly, "But I don't deserve your love…"

"Idiot! What happened wasn't your fault, it was my own damn fault!" Sheena chided angrily, the tears starting anew, "It was my own damn fault!"

There was silence as Zelos gave the notion some thought before speaking. "Well, no one could have stopped it from happening, as desperately as I wish _someone_ could've stopped it, so it's no one's fault, okay?"

Sheena nor Zelos said anything for the next few moments, only the sound of Zelos' footsteps keeping silence from setting in.

"I'm broken too."

Sheena looked up at Zelos, confusion evident in her expression. "That bastard broke you inside. The fact that I couldn't stop it broke me inside too."

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm open And I don't feel like I'm strong enough_

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right when you're gone away_

He wanted to cry. He wanted to cry for her. But he wouldn't, he _couldn't_. She was broken, shattered into pieces. He couldn't cry while she was in so much pain, although she wouldn't let it show, stubborn as she was.

He had to stay strong for her.

"Zelos."

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to sleep by myself tonight."

Although she had moved in with Zelos, Sheena chose to sleep by herself. "I'll sleep with you when I'm ready to give you my innocence." was what she had told him when he had questioned her decision.

But Zelos knew why she wanted him to sleep with her. She didn't want sex, not after what happened. She wanted the love, warmth, and comfort that only he could offer. "Alright. Before we go to bed, I'll have Sebastian draw a nice warm bath for you so you can clean off the son of a bitch's dirty touches."

Sheena nodded. "I felt so alone…" Sheena confessed not even a minute later, "It didn't feel right, being without you…"

"Well, I'm not going to leave you. Ever." Zelos said firmly.

"I'll always be with you, Zelos. I'll never leave you either; I'll always be with you." Sheena said in reply.

"Alright hun. Let's go home."

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right when you're gone_

Even with what had happened, Sheena and Zelos' bond had become stronger. Neither blamed the other, neither one pointed fingers. The event had caused them both much emotional pain, but with each other within arm's reach, they persevered and they continued walking through Life's path, together.

_You've gone away, you don't feel me anymore._


End file.
